Archives for January 2013

- - - | written by Jason on 1/31/2013 | - - -

Woman Builds Cardboard Castle for Cats, Rejuvenates Creative Spirit

I recently wrote about the importance of being ridiculous. A few days after I posted it, I came across a photo of a cardboard cat castle lovingly (and impressively) constructed by Mindy Holahan. (You may remember Mindy as the co-host of the Nerdkicks podcast and co-originator of the Sidewalk Chalk Small Rebellion we instigated last fall.) Let's face it: few things are more ridiculous than building a cardboard castle for your cats. I was curious to know the backstory behind this curious castle, as it promised to be a good one. So I asked her about it. Mindy told me that she had just moved from Philadelphia to Minnesota after ending a nine-year relationship. Although a "maker" by nature, she had little interest in creating much of anything in the six months prior to her move. There were many reasons, of course, but Mindy admitted that a big one was that she was sad that her life wasn't turning out the way she hoped, which naturally sapped much of her creativity. …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/30/2013 | - - -

Why Capn’ Crunch, the Trix Rabbit and Toucan Sam All Have Adultitis

I have never once considered the sugar-laden cereals that warm my heart and gladden my belly to be laced with Adultitis. Not once. That is, until I came across a cereal that was born in 1988 called Cröonchy Stars. Although 80s were my halcyon years of cereal eating, I'd never heard of them until my friend Lisa brought them to my attention a few weeks ago. The brainchild of Jim Henson and featuring his Muppet character The Swedish Chef, Cröonchy Stars was a cinnamon toast flavored cereal packaged in a box peppered with ridiculous, and sometimes unsolvable, games and puzzles. One time it included a contest to see how many times you could find the word “rutabaga” hidden on the box and how many times it was spelled correctly. …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/28/2013 | - - -

Easy Bake Ovens (for Boys)

When I was a wee lad, I asked for a kitchen set for Christmas. My Mom denied my request, informing me that kitchen sets were for girls. My disappointment gave way to hope the following year, however. While engaging in my favorite late fall pastime -- reading the Sears Christmas catalog that arrived by mail -- I was overjoyed to see that within the very pages of that fine, authoritative publication was the kitchen set of my dreams…and it was shown being played with by a girl AND a boy. I rushed to show my mom the the incontrovertible evidence. …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/27/2013 | - - -

Boy Suspended from School for Dressing Up Like…Fruit

In the Adults Are Ruining Everything department, a kid got suspended for running around the field dressed as a banana during halftime of a high school football game. My hero is reporter Pat Collins, who dresses up like a bunch of grapes for the interview. His best line: "When you think about it, you might see their point. It starts with a banana, then all of a sudden you have an apple or an orange and maybe a grape and before you know it, you have FRUIT SALAD at the schools! We can't have that." Hat tip to Mindy …

- - - | written by Kim on 1/25/2013 | - - -

Freedom I Can Wear

For years, Jason has been teasing me about my wardrobe around the house. I am the Mismatch Queen. "Homeless" is how he puts it, and I laugh -- we both do. I DO HAVE matching comfy clothes. My mother-in-law faithfully supplies her three daughter-in-laws with cute new pj's every Christmas Eve. (Thanks, Linda!) And yet, when I enter my closet to "get cozy" (as Lucy puts it), I walk away looking like I am colorblind. Why? I'm not sure. But, I've come to the conclusion recently that "why" is the wrong question. …

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- - - | written by Jason on 1/24/2013 | - - -

Meet LaChile Turner

The Small Rebellion is a playful group of escape artists who share a joyful, indomitable childlike spirit and are not afraid to let that spirit come out to play! They’re united by a common goal of fighting Adultitis and the doo-doo heads who embrace its ideals. Quite frankly, they’re pretty much the coolest people on the planet. Here's one right now... • My name is... LaChile Turner. • My hometown is... Williamsburg,Virginia. • My biggest dream...is to someday get to travel all over the WORLD!!!!!! …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/23/2013 | - - -

A Dog’s Guide to Fighting Adultitis

Can animals have Adultitis? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure humans are the only species that have the mental baggage to succumb to the wiles of this dreaded condition. Now, even though animals are, by default, Adultitis-free, dogs appear to be the most obviously so. There are actually many things we humans can learn from our canine companions when it comes to fighting Adultitis. After her dog Lucy passed away last year, Liz Danzico wrote a pretty neat list of things she learned from her furry friend. Good tips for life, good tips for Adultitis-fighting, indeed: …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/22/2013 | - - -

Vote for Mushrooms

So I submitted my first shirt to Threadless.com. It's all about mushrooms. It cleared the first hurdle of acceptance, and now it is up for scoring on the web site. If the scores are high enough and the comments prevalent enough, apparently they will consider printing it and offering it for sale on their site. It would be a pretty neat honor for me, and nice exposure for my work. Voting ends on Thursday. If you think it is worthy, I would so very much appreciate it if you'd give it a high score and leave a comment here. Thanks! …

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- - - | written by Jason on 1/22/2013 | - - -

Lessons for Building Snow Forts (and Other Things)

I loved building snow forts when I was a kid. For those of us who grew up in climates with frosty winters, it was a classic childhood pastime. After a big snowfall, it was it was easy to start visioning what sort of fort you would build. Your imagination kicking into high gear, you’d think about building two levels, with windows -- and turrets! -- along with a few secret passageways and, of course, extra thick walls to protect against enemy snowball attacks. Here’s the thing: no matter how grandiose your plans, you always start out with a plain, untouched pile of snow. But if you caught sight of the neighbor kids’ fort -- the ones who got started a few hours ahead of you -- it might be easy to get a little jealous. I mean, they have a freaking moat. And is that a snowball CATAPULT? …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/21/2013 | - - -

No One Belongs Here More Than You

Rich Mullins was a contemporary Christian artist whose songs and perspective were a major influence on me during a crucial point in my life. He passed away in a tragic car accident when I was in college. I remember a chilly, late-night walk on campus during which I reflected on his life and the impact he’d had on the world. As autumn leaves crunched under my feet, I noticed stirring within my heart: a deep desire to make a similar impact. A dark voice of doubt tried to squelch it immediately. “Who do you think you are? You’re just a kid from a small town in Illinois!” Fortunately, another voice came to my defense: “And Rich Mullins was ‘just’ a kid from a small town in Indiana. Why NOT you?” I’ve always held on to that sentiment, especially when I’ve been intimidated, afraid, or feeling unworthy. Which happens a lot, especially when I’m about to give a speech to an audience that is out of my comfort zone. Yes, the people in the seats may have experience, social status, …